If you can’t breastfeed or choose not to, selecting the right formula milk is a task not to be taken lightly. This is particularly tricky if you’re visiting or moving to Australia with an older baby who has been used to one brand of formula since birth.

Mum’s article on buying disposable nappies in Australia is the most viewed and commented on article at Mum’s gone 2 Aus, it’s great to be helping so many people. Based on similar research i.e. it’s not ground-breaking or Australia-wide but it’s a great indication of what you’ll find in Aus, Mum has put together a list of Australian baby formula brands, what they cost, and where to get them. We hope this eases some of the stress of your planned visit or relocation, if it has, hasn’t or you’ve got tips to share, please do so in the comments below.

What baby formula brands are sold in Australia?

The first thing that struck me when I looked at the baby formula shelves in Australian supermarkets is how many options there are. Not only are there more brands than we have in the UK but the brands that dominate have a standard and GOLD version. The GOLD or GOLD+ versions are more expensive.

The cynic in me thought this is clever marketing by the baby formula people but as far as I can work out, the GOLD bit serves a purpose. It implies that the product is newer than similarly named versions, and contains more of the latest ingredients that have been found to be good for babies. For example, the Wyeth S26 GOLD branding coincided with the addition of Omega fats to their S26 formula.

Below are the brands I found in supermarkets and pharmacies in Sydney. Nestle NAN H.A. 1 GOLD and Wyeth S26were the dominant brands. Most brands have stage one (0 – 6 months) and stage two (6-12 months) versions, some have follow-on options.

Bellamy’s Organic is the only organic brand of baby formula I spotted; the brand didn’t dominate the supermarket shelves but was sold in most stores.

Novalac has been specifically developed to manage feeding problems in formula fed infants. For this reason, it is only available from pharmacies and depending on the type of milk, should only be used under medical supervision. Novalac have the following products; colic, constipation, diarrhoea, sweet dreams, reflux, and hypoallergenic.

Are baby formula brands sold in Australia the same as the UK?

The quick answer is NO. In the UK, the brand of baby formula recommended by my health visitor when I stopped breastfeeding was Aptamil. Other brands you’ll find on supermarket shelves are Cow & Gate, SMA and Hipp (Organic). These brands aren’t available in Australian supermarkets, but there is some good news.

The nitty-gritty

When comparing like for like products I found Pulse Pharmacy to be cheaper than the supermarkets. Woolworths was usually cheaper than Coles. Big W prices were mid-range but on some brands they had a two for $40 offer that made them cheaper than the supermarkets.

Prices provided are for 900g tins (or boxes) and prices are for the version suitable from birth.

Example costs;

Nestle NAN H.A. 1 GOLD – $23.75 (Pulse) – $26.99 (Coles)

Nestle Lactogen – $14.74 (Big W) – $16.99 (Coles)

Heinz Nurture GOLD – $22.42 (Woolworths) – $23.49 (Coles)

Wyeth S26 – $20.27 (Coles)

Wyeth S26 GOLD – $26.29 (Coles)

Wyeth S26 Soy – $24.27 (Big W)

Wyeth S26 Lactose Free – $23.87 (Big W)

Karicare – $16.95 (Pulse) – $20.63 (Coles)

Karicare GOLD + – $26.20 (Coles)

Karicare Goat – $30.08 (Woolworths)

Bellamy’s Organic – $22.99 (Woolworths) – $24.19 (Coles)

Novalac stage 1 (0 – 6 months) – $19.95 (Pulse)

Novalac colic, reflux etc. – $22.90 (Pulse)

250 ml cartons are also available – If you’re a formula feeding mum on the go, you’ll be pleased to know that some brands are sold in ready mixed 250 ml cartons. Wyeth S26 Gold cartons cost around $2.50.

Desperate for your home brand?

Finally, if you are desperate to travel or relocate to Australia with your home brand of baby formula here’s some useful information.

Expat Essentials offer an online shopping and shipping service from the UK. The products they are able to send include baby formula, their website indicates that they can send up to three months supply to Australia, at a time.

If you’re travelling to Australia by air, what you’re allowed to pack in your suitcase will depend on your country of origin. In most cases, and if you’re travelling from the UK, you’re allowed to travel with infant formula, in sealed containers, but you must declare it at customs. You’re allowed to travel from the UK with up to 10kg of baby formula, per infant.

As well taking baby formula with you when you travel, you can post up to 10kg of baby formula from the UK to Australia (without needing an import permit). If you choose to send baby formula, you should write “Attention Quarantine – this product contains dairy from the UK” on the packet. Amounts over 10kg will need an import permit which can be arranged via the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service.

What about Holle’s organic baby formula? I can see that they are not widely available in stores, but you can occassionally see them available in some organic supermarkets. Have you tried them? Are they as good as Bellamy or is it better?

Thanks for mentioning Holle organic baby formula, I didn’t use it personally but it had a good reputation in the UK (a German brand I believe). Good to hear you can get it in Australia. If any other readers have direct experience of using it, compared to Bellamy’s do let us know.

Also, do you know if you can ship or get someone to bring baby formula from USA? (Without accompanying child) – I know that there are a lot more organic brands in USA and I would like to use them here in Australia, but the customs are so strict on things being sent via mail in Australia, I am worried that they will be opened or confiscated when they are sent to my house.

You should be fine sending up to 10kg of baby formula to your house. Here are the rules and regulations about importing baby formula.

The details I’m supplying are available on the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service database (http://www.aqis.gov.au/icon32/asp/ex_querycontent.asp). Rules are subject to change and ad hoc amendments depending on individual country circumstances i.e. in the past, outbreaks of foot and mouth disease caused changes for the UK.

Commercially prepared milk based infant foods, from any country, (e.g. infant formula, toddler formula or baby food), can be imported into Australia provided that the products are for the consumption of the accompanying child (product may be accompanied in checked baggage or carry-on-luggage). The weight limit is 10Kg. You CAN’T get someone travelling without a child to bring infant foods in for you.

Bottles of pre-prepared infant formula accompanying an infant are also permitted. A single opened can/tin of milk-based foods for infants is also permitted when accompanying an infant, however all other cans/tins must be unopened.

Products imported i.e. posted or shipped as personal effects for a visiting/migrating child are considered to be ‘accompanied’. The weight limit for shipping infant foods is also 10kg. To help and speed up quarantine, label the package “Attention Quarantine – this product contains dairy from X”.

Hi there – Really useful articles; I am going to be visiting Aus in Feb with my 3.5 month old baby who is mostly bottle fed and am trying to plan how we can manage on the flight and when we get there. Your comparison of formulas with UK ones is also fab.
I was just wondering the best way to take formula with us on the flight back to the UK? On the way out we are going to pre-order cartons of formula from the airside branch of Boots as we can’t take any liquids through. Is it possible to do the same thing at Sydney on the way back, or are we allowed to take unopened cartons of ready made formula through security in hand luggage? Or should we take powder and mix up on the plane somehow?
Would be grateful for the benefit of anyone’s experience, thanks

Hi there, thanks for your comments and feedback, glad the articles are useful.
My understanding is that you ARE allowed to take liquid through security at the airport if it is for an accompanied infant. This link from Directgov in the UK explains what you are allowed to take: air travel hand baggage. You can take whatever quantity of baby food or formula you need for the journey.
If you’re concerned about using your home brand whilst in Australia, you are also allowed to travel from the UK to Australia with unopened, commercially packaged baby formula. You can carry this in your suitcase and need to declare it at customs when you enter Australia (previous comments to this article explain the details). When travelling from Australia to the EU the same rules apply.
I’m basing my knowledge on personal research rather than experience, if any readers have direct experience it would be great to hear how it all went! Thank you.
P.S. I’m not sure whether you’re having a stopover so in case you’re going via another country that may have different rules it would be a good idea to speak to your airline about their specific rules and regulations. Have a good trip!

Thanks for clarifying about taking liquids on board – my concern though is that they ask you to taste them and then the cartons of liquid formula will have been opened …… Do you have any experience of this happening?

Hi – my understanding is that they only ask you to taste baby milk (formula \ breast milk) that has already been made up i.e. if formula is no longer in commercial packaging but in a baby bottle. I’ve personally travelled with small cartons of formula in my hand luggage (about four years ago) and was never asked to open them. I think we washed out baby bottles before boarding \ leaving the plane. Anyone else have any more recent or different experiences? Many Thanks.

I’m travelling to Australia in 2 weeks time from Ireland with my daughter (who will be 6 months at that stage) so i will definitely let you know what experience we have getting through customs both from this end and in Australia.

We plan on taking the cartons of formula (from shop, pre-made) on the flight with us and some forumula feed in travel containers. Hopefully it won’t be an issue for customs *fingers crossed*

Travelled the other way (Aus to UK last November) and back with my 6 month old. Best ever Heathrow experience, friendly helpful staff, not like previous times.

You are allowed a “reasonable quantity” of either pre-prepared bottles containing formula or a baby bottle containing sterile water for the addition of powder. If the water is not in baby bottles its subject to the general rules re fluids on board but once in a bottle it magically becomes not a threat to the airlines and it is allowed through customs. Use the plastic tubs with partitions sold for infant formula in most chemists and supermarkets (UK and Aus) that then means you don’t have to worry about correct storage for prepared formula. We took a supply for the length of our trip plus potential delays (around 12 feeds) and had no problems.

Other tips, keep phoning your airline to request a bassinet, they won’t confirm it prior to departure day but it helps to keep nagging. Some airports have complimentary strollers too (we found one in Singapore Changi and Sydney) A baby carrier eg baby bjorn is good for unsettled bubs needing to be walked up and down the plane at night. However fingers crossed for a trip like with our bub, the white noise and vibration meant he slept most of the way.

Very helpful blog. Planning to travel to Melbourne with my 6 year old. Do they have any Mead Johnson milk formulas for 6 year olds there? Currently feeding EnfaKid. If not, can I bring in an opened carton? Many thanx.

Hi Prem, I’ve taken the opportunity to look in supermarkets and chemists in Sydney and can’t find Enfakid. The powdered milk products I’ve seen for kids (aged 1 – 10 years) are Pediasure and Nestle Kids Essentials – vanilla seems to be the most common flavour. From looking online they both seem fairly similar to Enfakid. On the Kids Essentials tin it says it needs to be used under medical supervision. To give you an idea of price in Australia – Pediasure 400g is $AU15.99, and 900g is $AU29.99. Kids Essentials 900g is $AU24.99. Assuming it is treated the same as infant formula you are allowed to travel with one open tin, any other tins you bring must be unopenned. Hope this helps. All the best, Mum x

I love ur blog, very informative. Im going to Melbourne in July to further my studies and will bring along my 4 yo and 2 yo sons. Im wondering if NAN H.A 3 and Pediasure Complete (Chocolate flavour) is available in Australia. Thanks in advance

Just stumbled across your website. I live in New Zealand and for various reasons have had to formula feed. Many of the same brands are available here and I use Karicare Original.

What I’m struggling with here is the lack of ready made cartons for when I’m away from home. The only available carton is S26 and it only comes in the Gold range which my baby doesn’t like. He regularly threw up Karicare’s gold formula and I was told that some babies find it too rich due to the omega 3 added.

Are there any ready made cartons in non-gold varieties available in Australia that I might be able to get sent to NZ? Thanks

Hi Lucy,
The brand of carton most widely available here is also S26 Gold. I’ve had a quick look at a few chemists who deliver overseas and they also only stock the ‘Gold’ options in cartons. It might be worth doing a more thorough search though.
You could talk to Nutricia direct (who make Karicare) and ask for stockists.
Another option could be to purchase from another country i.e. the UK. Expat Essentials deliver cartons of baby formula from the UK. I used Aptamil and Hipp Organic in the UK. Aptamil is close to Karicare Gold + though so perhaps not any good for you.
Hope you can find someone to deliver what you need!

Thank you for your topic. I am from china, my daughter is allergic to cow milk, using goat milk, Karicare. She is 3. I will travel to Sydney and hope to find Karicare goat 3. Could any one know any market has goat 3?

Hi Panmai, I have looked online at stores in Australia that sell formula milk and have found that many sell Karicare Goat 1 and 2, but I haven’t found Karicare Goat 3 at any of the stores. This is what Pharmacy Direct sell and they seem to be fairly typical of what’s available. It might be best to email Karicare direct and ask then what to do. Fresh Goat’s milk is generally sold in the dairy section (fridges) of Australian supermarkets, I’m not sure whether your daughter can have this?? Good luck with your trip to Sydney.

Hi, there! I have to say this blog is an excellent one! I am so lucky to find it by searching the internet with the title of “How many brands of infant formula are sold in Australia” many times, and finnally enter in your blog. I wonder if you could do me a favor, because i want to know how to import infant formula milk powder from Australia. Now I live in China, some of my relatives want to buy the real foreign infant formula to feed their babies, I really want to help them, but I do not know how to import the formulas. Could you help me? Thanks in advance! Have a good summer!

Hi David,
I think you should investigate using an Australian online pharmacy like ChemistDirect.com.au, they offer international delivery but you should check import details in China i.e. they may have quantity and ingredient restrictions, and they may charge import fees. Another option is contacting an Australian food specialist like Great Aussie Food, they have a limited amount of baby formula but might know more about importing into China. Good luck!

Thanks so much for giving such advice! I will check those two websites you’ve recommended and try to find out the relavent Chinese custom restrictions about importing infant formula from Australia. Anyway, if I find something useful about importing the baby formula from Au, I will share it with everybody here. ^_^

Hi,I am soooo happy that I found this blog…you are doing an awsome job..Thanks.I will be coming go Melbourne and Sydney end of next month from CANADA with my 11 month old…
I need help…is Enfamil formula available there? Also do they have Heinz bottle food?
Please help….

Hi there,
I’ve never seen Enfamil in Sydney (in supermarkets or chemists), I’ve had a quick look for a stockist online and haven’t been successful. Perhaps you should try finding one of the brands I list in the article in Canada, and moving your 11 month over before you come?? The better news is that the majority of bottle food sold here is Heinz – have you read Baby food on sale in Australia? Enjoy your trip.

Hi Helen,
This article Flying to or from Australia with a baby, here’s Mum’s advice provides details of what you can carry on the airplane with you. Generally, you should be allowed to board the plan with enough food for the flight (in opened containers) and an up to 10kg in additional formula (in check in luggage providing it is commercially prepared and unopened).
To understand which formula is closest to Anmum I would contact them direct, they have a feedback form on their website. As you already know it’s not going to be available you could find a new formula that IS available in Australia (if there is one) and start trying your baby on that. That should smooth the transition when you arrive.
Good luck with your plans.

Hi Helen,
You will probably find it useful to compare the nutritional information available online and on the side of the box or packet of baby formula. I don’t think I’ve seen high sugar content in any baby formula’s here but I could be wrong. I quickly found this information page about the Nutritional Content of S26. You could do the same for other brands and compare with what you’re currently using. Hope that helps!

I’m from Philippines. We’re goign to Australia next week with my husband & my baby.
I just wanna ask if i am allowed to bring a milk for my 2 months baby fly out to Australia?
I’m looking for your reply & thanks.

I live in Australia but I would like to send baby formula to my cousin, she’s young with a 14 month old baby and struggling with the daily routine and i would like to help out by sending her some essentials for the baby, my question is, am I allowed to send baby formula to the philippines and if so how do I go about it?? cheers, Ellen

Hi Ellen,
I’m afraid we can’t help with information on importing baby formula into the Philippines. If you can send it to Australia, I would expect you can send it to the Philippines but to avoid issues you would need to confirm the quantity you’re allowed to send and check whether you need to declare what you’re sending. If you research the Department of Agriculture for the Philippine Government you may find useful information. Our expertise relates to incoming items to Australia only. Hope you find the information you’re looking for.

Can anyone please help me? My son is 8 months old and has a dairy allergy and possibly reacts to some preservatives. Does anyone know of any organic soy formula available in Australia or if I can import them from Canada or The States?

Hi Ann,
I don’t know of an Organic one but Wyeth do an S-26 Gold Soy. The standard S-26 Gold is one of the most popular brands here. You could compare the ingredients with your current brand.
You are allowed to arrive in Aus with up to 10kg of infant formula (unopened in your checked in luggage) and you’re also allowed to post up to 10kg to an address in Australia. I expect you’ll also be able to find US or Canadian stores that are willing to ship it to you…at a price!
All the best, Mum

hi my wife and two children are arriving from ireland in two weeks,we use cow n gate comfort baby formula at. home what is the closest formula to it and what supermarkets would i find it im living in perth

Hi there,
I’ve just been on “Live Chat” with an adviser at Cow and Gate (excellent service!) and the closest thing to Cow and Gate in Australia is Karicare, it’s not identical but both brands are from the same parent company so it’s the closest you’ll get. Karicare Gold + is one of the most popular brands in Australia and widely available in supermarkets and pharmacies so it will be a good choice.
Have a safe trip.

My son and his family are coming from England. They have asked me to get Karicare Aptamil Gold + 0-6mths formula (900g) and also the same brand ready mix 200ml cartons. I can find the 900g tins but l am having trouble finding the ready mix cartons. Would you know where l can purchase the ready mix. I live in Victoria Australia

Hi Lucy,
I’ve received confirmation from Karicare \ Aptamil Advisory Service and they don’t sell ready made cartons of Karicare in Australia. The closest thing you can get is travel sachets for the powder i.e. you’d still need to find hot water and mix it yourself.
I know other brands are available in cartons, I’ve seen S26 in Woolworths but I doubt that helps if baby is used to something else.
All the best.

Hi Mariana,
I wouldn’t like to offer too much direct advice as it’s so important to get this type of thing right. If there aren’t adequate instructions on the packaging I would contact Nestle direct or speak to a pharmacist. All the best.

On the tin, they said:
Dosage table:
250ml->250kcal->210ml->7scoops or 55 g
250ml->375kcal->190ml->10scoops or 80 g
so I’m a bit confused ! It can be 30ml/scoop either 20ml( but too sweet !)
Thank you !

hi there,
i beleieve this thread is very helpful to our firends going to australia and im just hoping to get some help with my quest to find answers to my travel for new zealand. my baby is 2 years old and currently she’s having enfagrow3 im planning ti switch her to pediasure/gainIQ before we move to new zealand but im not really sure if the 2 are available there.. i wish to find the mentioned formula milk for me to begin her pediasure/gain right now before we move… can anyone give me a link on available formula milks in NZ? is enfagrow even available there?

hi there,
i beleieve this thread is very helpful to our firends going to australia and im just hoping to get some help with my quest to find answers to my travel for new zealand. my baby is 2 years old and currently she’s having enfagrow3 im planning ti switch her to pediasure/gainIQ before we move to new zealand but im not really sure if the 2 are available there.. i wish to find the mentioned formula milk for me to begin her pediasure/gain right now before we move… can anyone give me a link on available formula milks in NZ? is enfagrow even available there? please help me..

Hi,
In our 3rd of 5 week visit to Oz. We flew from Birmingham & the security lady assured us that we would have had to open 50% of any ready made formula pre-made from the company or in the bottle. We pre-ordered Cow & Gate pre-mades from Boots on line which only offers landside store for delivery but called the store & the order was waiting for us airside no problem. Flew through Paris where we were told we didn’t have to put baby foods through seperately after pulling them all from our carry on, however ,the dude did say ‘it changes day to day’ with a big shrug! Singapore had no issues, I’d emailed Changi Airport before we left & they said there’d be no problem & there wasn’t. We brought 6x 900g Cow & Gate powder & 10x 200ml pre-mades through with no problem. Austrailian Customs guy has said there should be no problem to take the pre-mades we brought with us to take back (if you know what I mean) back through for the return journey but it’s a wait & see.
As for the bassinet thing Air France confirmed the bassinet the day after I had booked online with them for both outward & return flights but only on the long haul sectors. Scoot from Singapore to the Gold Coast don’t do bassinets as they are a budget airline but pay the extra to fly ScootBiz as you get additional allowance for carry on baggage, they don’t give you an allowance for babies!! having said that they charge about 2.50GBP for an extra 5kg of luggage, they give you 20kg not 23kg like major carriers.

Really hope you can see my message, and very appreciate if you can reply to me.
We are mothers in China, and due to the quality problems of Chinese milk powder, we find friends who is studying in AU to help buy Bellamy’s organic milk powder, it is really good milk powder,we think and babies like it very much. But recently we get news from internet said the ingredients “selenium’ is exceeding the standard from China Custom Inspection. Do you have any news about it ? We still want to buy this brand, but now worried a little bit.Can we trust this brand?
Waiting for your reply with thanks!

Hi, my wife and i will be visiting Melbourne with our 1 year old baby girl for 4days holiday. Is it ok if we bring along our formula milk from Malaysia new and sealed packet. I heard the brand Anmum not selling there. Pls advice.

Hi! can anyone please tell me which brand in Australia is good for 1year and 3month old baby to have? the baby had karicare before and his having constipation after having it…. so can anyone please recommand some good one for me and where can i get it from? Thank you!!

Hi Jenny,
You’ll find a broad range of baby formulas in large supermarkets (Coles and Woolworths) as well as Pharmacies in Australia. I would bring enough of your local brand to last a few weeks (as long as possible) and then gradually test the brands available here to see which one agrees with your child the best. All the best with your plans.

Hi,
Just an update regarding the amount of infant formula that can be imported into Australia. It used to be 10kg or 10litres but I’ve just heard back from the Department of Agriculture Australia and they have apparently changed the maximum allowed amount of infant formula to 5kg’s or 5 litres.
I’m pasting their reply below. Hope it helps:

Infant Formula

Infant formulas may be imported, from any country providing that they are:
i) shelf stable; and
ii) commercially prepared and packaged; and
iii) for the personal use of infants under the care of the person wishing to import the product; and
iv) accompanied into Australia by the person importing it, in an amount up to 5 kilograms or 5 litres; OR
v) not accompanied into Australia by the person importing it, in an amount up to 1 kilogram or 1 litre.
Note: Bottles of pre-prepared infant formula accompanying an infant are also permitted. A single opened can/tin of milk-based foods for infants is also permitted when accompanying an infant, however all other cans/tins must be unopened.

My sister is visiting from Ireland. Her little one has severe allergies. She is on special milk called Nutramigen Lipil 2. Do you know if it is available here (I am based in Brisbane)? or perhaps it is under a different brand name?
I am not a mum and have no notion about brands here in OZ! Any help would be greatly appreciated. They are coming for 6 weeks, so I don’t think they will have an allowance to carry it in with them.

Hi there,
I haven’t seen or heard of this brand in Australia, when I did my research the formula I heard about most, for babies with allergies, was Novalac. I believe this formula is only available from pharmacies (i.e. not supermarkets) and for some of the products you need a script from a Doctor. It might be useful to speak to a local pharmacist to see what they recommend.
That said, if your sister is coming for 6 weeks should is allowed to travel with up to 4 x boxes of formula, which I’m sure should cover it.
Thanks for visiting!

I just moved from the USA to Australia a year ago and I’m now pregnant with our second child. Everything is so different here. Do you know where I can find Earths Best Formula? It’s an organic formula. Do you think it’s similar to the Bellamy’s organic formula?

Hi Jenny,
Thanks for your comment and welcome to the blog! In all my research, I haven’t seen or heard of Earth’s Best Formula. I’d recommend visiting their website or Facebook page and asking the question re. Australia distributors or equivalent brands in Aus. Here’s their website:http://www.earthsbest.com/

In terms of changing formula or food, I would start small and then increase. I’m not sure I would have actually mixed the formula in the bottle, but maybe chosen one feed a day with the new formula until they get used to it and you’re sure there is no negative reaction… If you have the opportunity to ask a health professional that would be the best.

Hi, love the site. Am visiting Australia Jan-March 2014 and my 3 month old twins are on Enfamil premium 1. Does this brand exist in Oz? Can’t find much reference to it on Aus websites.. Thanks! And congratulations on such an informative and useful page!